Hôtel des Deux-Ponts

Civic in Strasbourg, France
48°35′06″N 7°45′06″E / 48.58500°N 7.75167°E / 48.58500; 7.75167Current tenantsFrench Armed ForcesConstruction started1754Completed1755Design and constructionArchitect(s)Joseph Massol, Georges Michel Muller

The Hôtel des Deux-Ponts, formerly known as the Hôtel Gayot and currently as the Hôtel du gouverneur militaire, is a historic building located on Place Broglie on the Grande Île in the city center of Strasbourg, in the French department of the Bas-Rhin. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1921.[1]

The Hôtel des Deux-Ponts is currently used as the official residence of the military governor of Strasbourg.

History

The Hôtel was designed as a hôtel particulier for the brothers, royal moneylenders François-Marie Gayot and Félix-Anne Gayot and built in 1754-55 featuring a courtyard, two ornate façades, a grand portal and a French garden. In 1770, it was sold by François-Marie Gayot to count palatine Christian IV of Zweibrücken (German: zwei Brücken = English: two bridges = French: deux ponts). Maximilian Joseph of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, the future King Maximilian I of Bavaria lived there from 1770 until 1790. His son and successor on the Bavarian throne, Ludwig I of Bavaria, was born in this palace on 25 August 1786.

The hôtel became state-owned (bien public) in the wake of the French Revolution in 1791 and has served as the official residence for military governors and chiefs of staff since, including during the periods when Strasbourg was a German town again (1871–1918 and 1940–1944). It is not open for tourists apart on special days such as European Heritage Days.

  • Panoramic view through the garden on Place Broglie
    Panoramic view through the garden on Place Broglie
  • Plaque for Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria
    Plaque for Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria
  • Main portal on Rue brûlée. The courtyard right behind is rarely seen.
    Main portal on Rue brûlée. The courtyard right behind is rarely seen.
  • Lower part of entrance hall
    Lower part of entrance hall
  • Ceiling of entrance hall with a fresco by Joseph Melling (1785)
    Ceiling of entrance hall with a fresco by Joseph Melling (1785)
  • A working and reception room
    A working and reception room

References

  1. ^ Base Mérimée: Hôtel des Deux Ponts ou Hôtel du Gouverneur militaire, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  • Media related to Hôtel des Deux-Ponts at Wikimedia Commons
  • Hôtel du gouverneur militaire - place Broglie on archi-wiki.org (in French)

Literature

  • Recht, Roland; Foessel, Georges; Klein, Jean-Pierre: Connaître Strasbourg, 1988, ISBN 2-7032-0185-0, pages 119–120

See also